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PC RES 2011-014 P.C. RESOLUTION NO. 2011-14 A RESOLUTION OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF RANCHO PALOS VERDES APPROVING ADDENDUM NO. 1 TO THE 2006 MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATION FOR PENINSULA COMMUNITY CHURCH AND A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT REVISION (PLANNING CASE NO. ZON2010-00433) FOR THE CONVERSION OF A 2,675-SQUARE-FOOT PORTION OF THE EXISTING LOWER-LEVEL STORAGE AREA OF THE MAIN SANC- TUARY BUILDING INTO A 2,207-SQUARE-FOOT MULTI- PURPOSE ROOM WITH ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-NINE (129) FIXED SEATS AND A 468-SQUARE-FOOT EXPANSION OF THE EXISTING CHURCH ADMINISTRA- TIVE OFFICES, LOCATED AT 5640 CRESTRIDGE ROAD WHEREAS, on January 25, 1977, Conditional Use Permit No. 21 and Variance No. 12 were approved, and a Negative Declaration was certified by the Planning Commission, for the construction of a sanctuary building for an existing religious facility (then Peninsula Baptist Church) at 5640 Crestridge Road; and, WHEREAS, on August 22, 2006, a Lot Line Adjustment, Conditional Use Permit Revision and Grading Permit(Planning Case Nos. SUB2005-00007 and ZON2004-00232) were approved, and a Mitigated Negative Declaration was certified by the Planning Commission,for the merger of two (2)adjoining parcels and the construction of a new, 53- space off-street parking lot for Peninsula Community Church at 5640 Crestridge Road;and, WHEREAS, on December 1, 2010, Peninsula Community Church submitted an application for a further Conditional Use Permit Revision (Planning Case No. ZON2010- 00433) to allow the conversion of a 2,675-square-foot portion of the lower-level storage area of the sanctuary building into a multi-purpose room and an extension of the church's existing administrative offices; and, WHEREAS, on February 3, 2011,the application for Planning Case No. ZON2010- 00433 was deemed complete by Staff; and, WHEREAS, pursuant to the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act, Public Resources Code Sections 21000 et seq. ("CEQA"), the State's CEQA Guidelines, California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Section 15000 et seq., the City's Local CEQA Guidelines, and Government Code Section 65962.5(f)(Hazardous Waste and Substances Statement), the City of Rancho Palos Verdes determined that there is no substantial evidence that the approval of Planning Case No. ZON2010-00433 would result in a significant adverse effect on the environment that was not already considered in the previous Mitigated Negative Declaration. Accordingly, Addendum No. 1 to the Mitigated Negative Declaration prepared in conjunction with the approval of Planning Case Nos. SUB2005-00007 and ZON2004-00232 on August 22, 2006, was prepared and is attached to this Resolution; and, WHEREAS, after notice issued pursuant to the requirements of the Rancho Palos Verdes Development Code,the Planning Commission held a duly noticed public hearing on March 8, 2011, at which time all interested parties were given an opportunity to be heard and present evidence. NOW,THEREFORE,THE PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF RANCHO PALOS VERDES DOES HEREBY FIND, DETERMINE, AND RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS: Section 1: The Planning Commission makes the following findings of fact with respect to the request for a revision to Conditional Use Permit No. 21 for the conversion of a portion of the existing lower-level storage area of the main sanctuary building at Peninsula Community Church into assembly and office space: A. The site for the intended use is adequate in size and shape to accommodate said use. Although the conversion of the existing lower-level storage area of the sanctuary building into habitable space increases the off-street parking requirement for the church campus as a whole,there will be a surplus of off-street parking as the result of the 57-space westerly (i.e., upper) parking lot previously approved by the City in 2006. A surplus will remain even with the imposition of a condition requiring the provision of one (1) additional handicapped-accessible parking space in the easterly(i.e., lower) parking lot. For the most part,the proposed site improvements would occur within the existing sanctuary building, with almost no changes to the existing setbacks,lot coverage, landscaping or other exterior elements of the church campus. Three(3)air conditioning units will be placed within landscaped portions of the easterly (i.e., lower) parking lot, but they will be visually screened and will not interfere with drive aisles, fire lanes or off-street parking spaces. B. The site for the proposed use relates to streets and highways properly designed to carry the type and quantity of traffic generated by the subject use. The existing church campus and its parking lots are accessed directly from Crestridge Road, which is a 64-foot-wide collector street connecting Crenshaw Boulevard and Highridge Road. The proposed project would accommodate existing uses and activities that are already occurring in other spaces and buildings on the church campus. As such, the proposed project is not expected to generate substantial additional traffic. There is sufficient existing off-street parking on the church site to accommodate the new habitable square footage proposed. Furthermore, the existing joint-use parking agreement with the other houses of worship and institutional uses along this segment of Crestridge Road remains in effect. C. There will be no significant adverse effect on adjacent property or permitted uses. The proposed project involves almost no exterior modifications to the existing P.C. Resolution No. 2011-14 Page 2 of 12 sanctuary building. There will be construction activity occurring primarily within the building, and the lower parking lot will be modified slightly to provide one (1) additional handicapped-accessible parking space and to accommodate the installation of three (3) air conditioning units. Once construction activity is completed, the new habitable space will be occupied by the church's existing administrative offices, and by other uses and activities that are already occurring elsewhere on the church campus. In order to ensure that there are no adverse impacts to adjacent property either during or after construction of this proposal, conditions will be imposed, including but not limited to, limits on the days and hours of construction; limits on the days and hours of use of the new habitable space; requirements for continued compliance with existing conditions regarding the use of the parking lots for church-related recreational activities and the hours and illumination levels for exterior lighting; and limitations on the noise levels of exterior mechanical equipment. D. The proposed use is not contrary to the General Plan. The General Plan land use designation of the subject property is Institutional. The General Plan (p. 197) describes the institutional area along Crestridge Road as having "generally moderate physical constraints" and being "centrally located in the Peninsula." It goes on to state that"[institutional]uses exist in the area, and the intent is to provide for a complex of future such uses, rather than allowing them to scatter throughout the community, where they are sometimes incompatible with other uses." The discussion of religious uses in the Urban Environment Element (p. 92) states that "[the General] Plan designates an area for religious and other activities, centrally located,with good access, and buffered from residential neighborhoods. This area, between Crestridge Road and Indian Peak Road, is also appropriate for other united institutional, cultural and recreational activities." Furthermore, Institutional Activity Policy No. 6 (p. 93) calls upon the City to "[review] the location and site deign of future institutional uses very carefully to ensure their compatibility with adjacent sites." The proposed project does not constitute a new institutional use, but an expansion of the existing use within the confines of the project site. Furthermore, the site has sufficient off-street-parking to support this expansion. E. The project site is not located within any of the overlay control districts established by Chapter 17.40 (Overlay Control Districts) of Title 17, so there is no need to ensure that the proposed use complies with the requirements of that chapter. F. Conditions have been imposed to protect the health, safety and general welfare, which include days and hours of construction and use and other conditions, as identified in Exhibit 'A' attached hereto. Section 2: The Planning Commission makes the following findings of fact with respect to the adoption of Addendum No. 1 to the Mitigated Negative Declaration for Planning Case Nos. SUB2005-00007 and ZON2004-00232 to address the environmental P.C. Resolution No. 2011-14 Page 3 of 12 effects of the proposed conversion of a portion of the existing lower-level storage area of the main sanctuary building at Peninsula Community Church into assembly and office space: A. The proposed project does not result in any new significant environmental effects and, like Planning Case Nos. SUB2005-00007 and ZON2004-00232, no significant impacts have been identified. The proposed project does present new significant environmental impacts because the additional off-street parking to support this proposal was provided as a part of the previous project covered by the Mitigated Negative Declaration. Therefore, the proposed revisions do not represent a substantial change in the project,and will not result in new significant environmental impacts or a substantial increase in the severity of any impacts. B. The proposed project will not result in any significant environmental impacts,and the circumstances under which the project is being undertaken have not substantially changed since the CEQA determination was made for Planning Case Nos. SUB2005-00007 and ZON2004-00232. The scope of the proposed project will be limited to the interior of the existing main sanctuary building. There are no changes with respect to the circumstances under which the project is undertaken that will require major revisions of the previous Mitigated Negative Declaration. C. No new information of substantial importance, which was not known and could not have been known with the exercise of reasonable diligence at the time the prior Mitigated Negative Declaration was adopted, identifies a significant environmental effect. Because the proposed project would not result in any new or more severe environmental impacts that those associated with Planning Case Nos. SUB2005- 00007 and ZON2004-00232, there is no need for new or substantially modified mitigation measures. Section 3: Any interested person aggrieved by this decision or by any portion of this decision may appeal to the City Council. Pursuant to Sections 17.60.060 of the Rancho Palos Verdes Municipal Code, any such appeal must be filed with the City, in writing, setting forth the grounds of the appeal and any specific actions requested by the appellant, and accompanied by the appropriate appeal fee, no later than fifteen (15)days following March 8, 2011, the date of the Planning Commission's final action. Section 4: For the foregoing reasons and based on information and findings contained in the Staff Reports, minutes, and records of the proceedings, the Planning Commission hereby approves Addendum No. 1 to the 2006 Mitigated Negative Declaration for Peninsula Community Church and Planning Case No.ZON2010-00433 for a Conditional Use Permit Revision, subject to the conditions of approval contained in the attached Exhibit `A', attached hereto and made a part hereof, which are necessary to protect the public health, safety, and welfare. P.C. Resolution No. 2011-14 Page 4 of 12 PASSED,APPROVED,AND ADOPTED this 8 th day of March 2011, by the following vote: AYES: Commissioners Emenhiser, Gerstner, Knight, Leon and Lewis NOES: none ABSTENTIONS: none ABSENT: Vice Chairman Tetreault and Chairman Gerstner RECUSALS: none C-1A L(c Chairman 4A 101 jJo Community Development Director; and, Secretary to the Planning Commission P.C. Resolution No. 2011-14 Page 5 of 12 EXHIBIT 'A' CONDITIONS OF APPROVAL FOR PLANNING CASE NO. ZON2010-00433 (Peninsula Community Church, 5640 Crestridge Road) General Conditions: 1. Prior to the submittal of plans into Building and Safety plan check,the applicant and the property owner shall submit to the City a statement, in writing, that they have read, understand, and agree to all conditions of approval contained in this Resolution. Failure to provide said written statement within ninety (90) days following date of this approval shall render this approval null and void. 2. Approval of this permit shall not be construed as a waiver of applicable and appropriate zoning regulations, or any Federal, State, County and/or City laws and regulations. Unless otherwise expressly specified, all other requirements of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes Municipal Code shall apply. 3. This approval is for the conversion of a 2,675-square-foot portion of the lower-level storage area of the sanctuary building into assembly and office space. The Community Development Director is authorized to make minor modifications to the approved plans and any of the conditions of approval if such modifications will achieve substantially the same results as would strict compliance with the approved plans and conditions. Otherwise,any substantive change to the project shall require approval of a further revision to the Conditional Use Permit by the Planning Commission and shall require new and separate environmental review. 4. All project development on the site shall conform to the specific standards contained in these conditions of approval or, if not addressed herein, in the I district development standards of the City's Municipal Code. 5. Failure to comply with and adhere to all of these conditions of approval may be cause to revoke the approval of the project by the Planning Commission after conducting a public hearing on the matter. 6. If the project has not been established (i.e., building permits obtained) within one year of the final effective date of this Resolution, or if construction has not commenced within one hundred eighty (180) days of the issuance of building permits, approval of the project shall expire and be of no further effect unless, prior to expiration, a written request for extension is filed with the Community Development Department and approved by the Director. Otherwise, a Conditional Use Permit Revision must be approved prior to further development. P.C. Resolution No. 2011-14 Page 6 of 12 7. In the event that any of these conditions conflict with the recommendations and/or requirements of another permitting agency or City department,the stricter standard shall apply. 8. Unless otherwise designated in these conditions, all construction shall be completed in substantial conformance with the plans stamped APPROVED by the City with the effective date of this Resolution. 9. The construction site and adjacent public and private properties and streets shall be kept free of all loose materials resembling trash and debris in excess of that material used for immediate construction purposes. Such excess material may include, but not be limited to: the accumulation of debris, garbage, lumber, scrap metal, concrete asphalt, piles of earth, salvage materials, abandoned or discarded furniture, appliances or other household fixtures. Condition Use Permit Conditions: 10. This approval is for the conversion of a 2,675-square-foot portion of the existing lower-level storage area of the main sanctuary building into a multi-purpose room and an expansion of the church's existing administrative offices. The multi-purpose room shall measure two thousand two hundred seven square feet(2,207 SF)in area and shall have a maximum fixed seating capacity of one hundred twenty-nine (129) seats. The expansion of the church's administrative offices shall measure four hundred sixty-eight square feet(468 SF)in area, including a 397-square-conference room and a 71-square-foot hallway. The remainder of the existing lower-level storage area of the main sanctuary building shall only be used for storage purposes or mechanical equipment, unless otherwise approved in advance by the City. 11. A 920-square-foot.portion of the existing church administrative offices on the lower level of the main sanctuary building may be remodeled in conjunction with this approval. Said remodeling shall involve no expansion of use that would result in increased parking demand or intensity of site use, unless otherwise approved in advance by the City. 12. The applicant shall provide and maintain a total on one hundred eighty-eight (188) off-street parking spaces on the site, except as may be modified pursuant to Condition No. 13 below. Fifty-seven (57) spaces shall be provided in the westerly (i.e., upper)parking lot and one hundred thirty-one (131)spaces shall be provided in the easterly (i.e., lower) parking lot. 13. If required by the City's Building Official, the applicant shall provide one (1) additional handicapped-accessible parking space in the easterly(i.e., lower)parking lot, for a total of six (6) handicapped-accessible parking spaces, prior to building permit final. The applicant shall make every effort to provide this additional P.C. Resolution No. 2011-14 Page 7 of 12 handicapped-accessible parking space without reducing the total number of off- street parking spaces specified in Condition No. 12. In the event that this is not possible, the applicant shall make every effort to minimize the number of standard and/or compact parking spaces affected by the provision of one (1) additional handicapped accessible space, to the satisfaction of the Community Development Director and the Building Official. 14. The days and hours of the use of the new multi-purpose room and administrative office expansion shall be as shown on the approved plans. 15. Trucks and other construction vehicles shall not park, queue and/or idle at the project site or in the adjoining public rights-of-way before 7:00 AM, Monday through Saturday, in accordance with the permitted hours of construction stated in Section 17.56.020(B) of the Rancho Palos Verdes Municipal Code. 16. Permitted hours and days for construction activity are 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM, Monday through Saturday,with no construction activity permitted on Sundays or on the legal holidays specified in Section 17.96.920 of the Rancho Palos Verdes Municipal Code without a special construction permit. 17. The project shall be reviewed by the Planning Commission six (6) months from building permit final for the approved construction so as to review the applicant's compliance with the conditions of approval. At that time, the Planning Commission may add, delete, or modify the conditions of approval as deemed necessary and appropriate. Notice of said review hearing shall be published and provided to owners of property within a 500-foot radius, to persons requesting notice, to all affected homeowners associations, and to the property owner in accordance with Rancho Palos Verdes Development Code Section 17.80.090. 18. Unless otherwise modified by these conditions,all existing conditions of approval for Condition Use Permit No. 21 and its related entitlements and previous revisions remain in full force and effect. This includes all applicable mitigation measures and/or conditions of approval included in P.C. Resolution Nos. 77-2, 2006-44 and 2006-45. Any future request to expand church facilities and/or activities on the site shall require the approval of a further revision to Conditional Use Permit No. 21 by the Planning Commission, and shall be subject to new and separate environmental review. 19. Prior to building permit issuance, the applicant shall obtain the approval of a minor Grading Permit and a minor Site Plan Review for the 3-, 4- and 15-ton air conditioning units to be placed in the easterly(i.e., lower)parking lot. The three (3) air conditioning units shall be placed within solid, fenced enclosures of sufficient height to visually screen the appearance of the units,as depicted on the revised site plan presented to the Planning Commission on March 8, 2011. Once installed, the P.C. Resolution No. 2011-14 Page 8 of 12 three (3) air conditioning units shall interfere with neither the use of nor access to any drive aisle, fire lane or off-street parking space. 20. Exterior mechanical equipment shall not generate noise in excess of 65 dBA at the nearest residential property line (i.e., the southerly property line). As a part of the 6-month review for this approval (see Condition No. 17 above), the applicant shall be responsible for demonstrating compliance with this condition and, if necessary, modifying the equipment and/or enclosures to achieve such compliance. P.C. Resolution No. 2011-14 Page 9 of 12 EXHIBIT `B' ADDENDUM NO. 1 TO MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATION PLANNING CASE NO. ZON2010-00433 (Peninsula Community Church, 5640 Crestridge Road) Project Background: On August 22, 2006, the Planning Commission adopted P.C. Resolution No. 2006-44, thereby adopting a Mitigated Negative Declaration for a Lot Line Adjustment, Conditional Use Permit Revision and Grading Permit (Planning Case Nos. SUB2005-00007 and ZON2004-00232)to construct a new, off-street parking lot and other site improvements for Peninsula Community Church. Prior to its adoption, the Mitigated Negative Declaration was circulated for public comment from August 2, 2006, through August 22, 2006. In adopting the Mitigated Negative Declaration, the Planning Commission found that: 1)the Mitigated Negative Declaration was prepared in the manner required by law and that there was no substantial evidence that,with appropriate mitigation measures, the approval of Planning Case Nos. SUB2005-00007 and ZON2004-00232 would result in a significant adverse effect upon the environment; and 2)that the approval of Planning Case Nos. SUB2005-00007 and ZON2004-00232 was consistent with the Rancho Palos Verdes General Plan. Proposed Project: The Planning Commission is currently reviewing further revisions to the original conditional use permit for Peninsula Community Church (Conditional Use Permit No. 21)to allow the conversion of a portion of the existing storage area on the lower level of the main sanctuary building for Peninsula Community Church into a multi-purpose room and an expansion of the church's existing administrative offices. As a result of the project originally approved pursuant to the Mitigated Negative Declaration,a 57-space off- street parking lot was constructed in the westerly(i.e., upper)portion of the church campus. This parking lot is intended (in part)to support the additional square footage now proposed by the applicant. Purpose: This Addendum to the previously-adopted Mitigated Negative Declaration is being prepared pursuant to Section 15164 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines which allows for the lead agency to prepare an addendum to an adopted Mitigated Negative Declaration if only minor technical changes or additions are necessary or none of the conditions described in Section 15162 calling for the preparation of a subsequent EIR or Mitigated Negative Declaration have occurred. Pursuant to CEQA Section 15162, no subsequent Mitigated Negative Declaration shall be prepared for the project unless the lead agency determines, on the basis of substantial evidence in the light of the whole record, one or more of the following: (1) Substantial changes are proposed in the project that will require major revisions of the previous Mitigated Negative Declaration due to the involvement of new, P.C. Resolution No. 2011-14 Page 10 of 12 significant environmental effects or a substantial increase in the severity of previously identified significant effects; (2) Substantial changes occur with respect to the circumstances under which the project is undertaken which will require major revisions of the previous Mitigated Negative Declaration due to the involvement of new significant environmental effects or a substantial increase in the severity of previously identified significant effects; or, (3) New information of substantial importance identifies one or more significant effects not discussed in the previous Mitigated Negative Declaration, significant effects previously examined will be substantially more severe than shown in the previous Mitigated Negative Declaration, mitigation measures or alternatives previously found not to be feasible or not analyzed in the Mitigated Negative Declaration would be feasible and would substantially reduce one or more significant effects but the project proponents decline to adopt of the measure or alternative. FINDINGS REGARDING THE PROPOSED PROJECT REVISIONS: Staff analyzed the proposed revisions to determine if any impacts would result from the proposal to convert a portion of the existing lower-level storage area of the main sanctuary building to assembly and office use. The Planning Commission has independently reviewed this item and has determined that, pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15162,a new Mitigated Negative Declaration is not required for this revision because the proposed amendments will not result in any new significant environmental effects: (1) The proposed project does not result in any new significant environmental effects and, like Planning Case Nos. SUB2005-00007 and ZON2004-00232, no significant impacts have been identified. The proposed project does present new significant environmental impacts because the additional off-street parking to support this proposal was provided as a part of the previous project covered by the Mitigated Negative Declaration. Therefore, the proposed revisions do not represent a substantial change in the project,and will not result in new significant environmental impacts or a substantial increase in the severity of any impacts. (2) The proposed project will not result in any significant environmental impacts,and the circumstances under which the project is being undertaken have not substantially changed since the CEQA determination was made for Planning Case Nos. SUB2005-00007 and ZON2004-00232. The scope of the proposed project will be limited to the interior of the existing main sanctuary building. There are no changes with respect to the circumstances under which the project is undertaken that will require major revisions of the previous Mitigated Negative Declaration. (3) No new information of substantial importance, which was not known and could not have been known with the exercise of reasonable diligence at the time the prior P.C. Resolution No. 2011-14 Page 11 of 12 Mitigated Negative Declaration was adopted, identifies a significant environmental effect. Because the proposed project would not result in any new or more severe environmental impacts that those associated with Planning Case Nos. SUB2005- 00007 and ZON2004-00232, there is no need for new or substantially modified mitigation measures. Therefore, pursuant to CEQA,the City Council finds that no further environmental review is necessary other than the Planning Commission's adoption of this Addendum No. 1. M:\Projects\ZON2010-00433(Peninsula Community Church,5640 Crestridge Rd)\PC Resolution 2011-14doc P.C. Resolution No. 2011-14 Page 12 of 12